Q&A with Ryan O'Neill

Angus Dalton speaks to Ryan O'Neill, whose novel, Their Brilliant Careers, was shortlisted for both the 2017 Miles Franklin Award and the 2017 Prime Minister's Literary Award.

This year’s Miles Franklin shortlist has been characterised by ‘love, death, power and ego’ – how do these themes permeate Their Brilliant Careers?

Their Brilliant Careers traces the careers of sixteen (imaginary) Australian writers, so ego obviously plays a large part in the book! Most of the characters are deluded in some way about their literary talents. One example is Helen Harkaway, who becomes a J D Salinger-like recluse in the belief that her first novel has been an enormous success, when in fact no one took any notice of it. Love, death and power appear in the book too, and are often intertwined.

Former lovers become bitter literary rivals and resort to dirty tricks in an attempt to destroy each other, sometimes even resorting to murder.

Is there a Miles Franklin award-winning novel you’ve read that particularly resonated with you?

One Miles Franklin winning novel that I loved was the 2016 winner, Black Rock White City, by A S Patric, a brilliantly written and unforgettable novel set in Melbourne. The author is a good friend of mine, and I’m proud to say I was among the first readers of Alec’s book, reading early chapters as they were written. It was wonderful to share in Alec’s excitement as he finished his book, found a publisher, and was longlisted, shortlisted, then finally, and deservedly, won the Miles Franklin.

Is Their Brilliant Careers possibly the most ironic title to ever be shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award? What did you think when you found out you were up for the win?

I wish I could say I had planned all of this, and that calling my book Their Brilliant Careers was a calculated and flagrant attempt to exploit Miles Franklin’s famous novel for a shortlisting in the very award that she instituted! But nothing could be further from the truth. I can honestly say that the thought of even appearing on the radar of the Miles Franklin award never crossed my mind. Being longlisted was a complete surprise, and being shortlisted has been surreal and delightful at the same time.

What are you reading now, and are you working on anything you can tell us about?

At the moment I am reading The Last Man in Europe by Dennis Glover, a novel about George Orwell and the writing of his greatest work, 1984. It’s a tricky and complex subject to tackle, but Glover pulls it off brilliantly.

In terms of my own writing, I am putting the finishing touches to my latest book, The Drover’s Wives, which retells Henry Lawson’s iconic short story in 99 different ways, from a Year 8 essay, to a Penthouse letter, to a blockbuster movie, and many more. It will be published by Seizure next year.